If it feels like all of your friends have suddenly acquired a new interest in birdwatching, then you’re not alone. A hobby once dominated by poorly dressed elderly folks has now become one of the fastest-growing pastimes in Europe, especially among the younger demographic. Last year, The Guardian recorded an increase of 1,088% Gen-Z birdwatchers in the UK, with similar numbers observed in Germany. The effect is a surge in influencers and TikTokers taking to social media to document their birdy experiences.
News stories over the past few years have been dominated by bird topics, from the rapid increase in members in the Young Birders Club, run by The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, to the surprise announcement of the Rebhuhn (partridge) as Germany’s 2026 Bird of the Year. In 2018, the Forschungsfall Nachtigall (Nightingale Project) was launched to map nightingales and their specific song structures across Berlin.
Many credit the pandemic for kickstarting this new trend. As clubs and sports halls closed their doors, people sought solace in the woods, paying attention to their winged inhabitants. With wellness activities on the rise, communities focused more on outdoor activities built around shared interests. A rise in apps has only furthered the popularity of birding, making bird spotting that much easier. eBird, one of the popular apps among the community, has been growing at an average rate of 20% year-over-year, clocking in a total of two billion bird observations.
Berlin’s magnificent amount of peaty moorlands, forests, giant lakes and abandoned industrial relics (and airports) all make for diverse habitats for local and migrating birds. A green metropolis with many protected natural environments and woodlands, the German capital makes birding that much easier. There are very few other places that have such high concentrations of nightingales and northern goshawks, for instance. Even at famous landmarks such as Tempelhofer Feld, you’ll be barraged with a cacophony of birdsong during the day, with several areas cordoned off to protect the nesting wildlife.
You can also just start going outside. You don’t need binoculars to get super close to a lot of birds.
At the forefront of this ornithological movement in Berlin is Danish birder Selina Veng, who has already amassed over 12k followers on Instagram. The bird lover makes daily videos about her escapades in the city’s natural wilderness, as she sets out on her ‘Big Year’, a challenge in which she attempts to find every single variety of bird in Berlin. (At the time of writing, she’s already on bird No. 150). Her near-daily documentary-style videos carefully detail her forays into nature as she gently narrates which birds she’s watching and how one can go about recognising them. It’s a perfect insight into the wide variety of birds we can see on our very doorstep.
How did you become such a birder?
I came to Berlin in 2020 after finishing my studies to work as a machine learning engineer. I got tired of that after a while and went travelling to Latin America, where I went on a lot of bird-watching trips. As I got more and more into it, I started making videos about birds and people and culture. I then decided to just focus on that instead of going back to work.
How have you gotten to the point where you can recognise the birds from so far away?
It takes practice, but I also did a lot of research beforehand. I hadn’t done so much hardcore birding before. I watched some videos to learn more about bird calls, and then I just listened to them. It also happens that I go out, and when I see something I don’t know, I take pictures, videos, go home and identify them with the available tools. AI is very useful here, and there’s also a really good app called Merlin that everyone uses for audio recognition.
Birding seems to be very popular recently. Why do you think that is?
The tools that help identify birds make birding more approachable. I think a lot of people want to do anything rather than just be on their phones. People are tired of being on their screens so much, and it’s a way to get out. You can also now gamify it, with leaderboards and people trying to find all the birds in Berlin, Germany or wherever. It’s also an awesome way to get into nature and find new communities.
Where is your favourite place to go bird watching in Berlin?
I find where to go by using platforms like eBird. There are also specific WhatsApp groups that are more discussion based. For example, I saw a black-necked grebe yesterday, then someone else said they had also spotted it. For me, I think the best places to go are north of the city, in Buch and Karow, which is where you get the most species, especially at the Karower Teiche. Then there’s Müggelsee, where you see a lot of rare birds.
What have you seen that’s surprised you the most?
That would probably be a pomarine skua. It’s a seabird that I saw on Müggelsee. Someone said it had been seven years since it was last seen in Berlin. Also in Müggelsee, I saw a Seeadler, a white-tailed eagle. They’re pretty cool. I was very lucky when I saw it, as it came very close and caught a fish not far from where I stood.
What have you got left? And how are you going to complete your checklist for the year?
In the beginning, it was quite easy, but then it got harder. You need a strategy to see them. I’ll have to do some investigation, get up a bit earlier and go to the same places where people have seen other birds on the platforms.
You’re not quite ready to build a den yet, then?
Maybe I should? I might have to do something like that in the end if I have a few species that I need to do that for. I’ve also considered taking a tent and sleeping in the forest.
Do you have a particular favourite experience so far this year?
At the beginning of this month, I went to this really good place called Landschaftspark Rudow, where there are a lot of birds. A couple of people had written in a WhatsApp group that they had seen a rare bird there, a Temminck’s stint. More people started to come as word got out, and it became a real birding party. That was a great community experience. I would have thought that by the time you’ve seen a bird and told someone, it would already be gone.
What tips would you give to people wanting to get into birding?
I think a lot of people want to do anything rather than just be on their phones.
Go on to eBird and look for the hot spots. When you share your goals, people really love to help. I’ve gotten so many messages that have helped me find things out, so being vocal about what you want to do is a really great way to get out there. You can also just start going outside. You don’t need binoculars to get super close to a lot of birds.
As well as being a birder, you’re essentially a content creator. What’s it like at the moment?
I don’t monetise it yet, but I’m working on that. My account is growing quite fast and I think people really love following a project that has a goal. A lot of people also say they appreciate getting to know these locations in Berlin. I didn’t know it would take off and become such a big thing. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’ll do next year. Maybe something similar somewhere else or maybe I’ll continue exploring Berlin in different ways.
Where to Bird Watch in Berlin
Karower Teiche
The nature reserve, moorlands, peat bogs and ponds located in Buch, in the north of Berlin, are surrounded by multiple viewing platforms, making it easier to spot the 150 different types of bird species there. Home to a variety of waterfowl, grebes and cranes, the area is a real duck-lovers paradise, unspoiled by any man-made interference.
Tempelhofer Feld
Home to the highest density of skylarks in Berlin, which can be found nesting in their own cordoned-off sanctuary fenced between the runways, the former airport is home to over 20 different endangered bird species.
Müggelsee
Surrounded by boggy woodlands and reed beds, Berlin’s largest lake is one of the best locations for observing aquatic and migratory bird species. Home to multiple varieties of ducks, grebes and loons, the more persistent birders will even be able to catch an osprey or eagle swooping across the waters.
Tegeler Fließ
Protected under EU law, the marshy wetlands that surround the small river valley connecting Tegeler See and Lubars can often sound like an aviary. The area’s rich biodiversity, pristine marshlands and interconnected boardwalks make bird watching even more accessible.
Tiefwerder Wiesen
The protected Naturgebiet situated on the former Havel floodplains in Spandau sits far enough away from everything to provide a haven for varied bird species. Herons have made home in the endangered reeds, while warblers, grebes and the occasional kingfisher have nestled up in the low-lying marshes, all of which can be observed from the newly installed boardwalks and footbridges.
Birds of Berlin
Berlin didn’t acquire its nickname of Spatzenhauptstadt (sparrow capital) for nothing. The most common bird variety, often seen pestering tourists for their last uneaten remnants of cake, has come to dominate the city’s infrastructure. There are, in fact, more sparrows in Berlin than in any other German city.
During the spring nighttime, you’re hard-pressed not to hear the unmistakable call of the nightingale. So ingrained are they in Berlin that British botanist Sarah Darwin started a project documenting all the different nightingale songs heard across the city. Often, the keen vocalists are competing against some of the city’s more common varieties, such as the melodic Eurasian blackbirds or the squawks of the mischievous hooded crows who wrestle for space on the streets next to the pigeons.
The city’s mixed wildlife locations have attracted a lofty number of rare and endangered birds, from the northern goshawks who flocked to Berlin to feast on the abundant pigeon population, to the white-tailed eagle or peregrine falcon. Plus, colourful varieties help spruce up the city’s Stadtbild, from the sprightly mandarin ducks that can be found swanning around the waterways to the vibrant green woodpecker or electric blue common kingfisher that inhabits the Landwehrkanal during the early morning. From the Havel to the Dahme and the multitude of lakes in between, Berlin also has its fair share of aquatic fowl and duck varieties, from the diving tufted ducks to the copper-coloured pochard.
Follow Selina Veng and keep up to date with her ‘Big Year’ on IG @selinasatlas
